In order to be able to heal or do healing work, we need to be present and have a felt sense in our bodies where we are safe. This safe place is where our truth is, which is that we have always been safe, all we are is love and we are connected to every living thing. Our task then becomes, how to remind ourselves of who we are. The following exercise does this very simply.

1. Sit in a chair and notice the chair underneath you.

Feel the support of the seat, the support of the back and how your body responds to that connection. This allows you to bring all of your energy into the present moment. Whatever you are feeling in your body is just right.

2. Notice your breath coming in and out.

3. Notice where in your body you feel safe (or comfortable) and breathe.

The important part is that you notice where you are safe and from that place to notice what is going on in your body and your life.

You don’t need to figure anything out, just notice if you are present or not and what that feels like. If you discover you are not present, then really lovingly, just go back to feeling the chair underneath you, then your breath and where you feel safe. It is from this safe place that you can know and speak your truth. It is from this place you have choice.

This is a very simple exercise that will change your life and reprogram your cells!

1. Breathe gratitude into your heart.

Take a few slow deep easy breaths (with the exhale taking longer than the inhale.) While inhaling, imagine as fully as you can that you have gratitude coming into your heart and filling up your entire body. Enjoy the feeling!

2. Speak out loud what you are grateful for.

After you have inhaled gratitude, pause for 2 or 3 seconds and then speak out loud what you are grateful for in your life. Notice the vibration of your voice move through your body as you say what you are grateful for. Enjoy the feeling!

3. Repeat.

Practice this at least once a day for 5 minutes and in a short time you will notice changes in how you think and how your body feels.

These are 4 questions to use when you are faced with a challenging interpersonal situation and are not sure what to do.

I have used these 4 questions since 1980. During difficult times, I carry them with me on an index card because I find it easy to forget them in the heat of things.

1. What is my responsibility in this situation?

This is asking if what is happening right now is my responsibility (did I do something to contribute to or cause it). If the answer is no, I just let it go and be supportive of the other person. If the answer is yes, I move on to question 2.

2. What can I do about it?

If for example, I made a mistake and hurt someone’s feelings, I could decide that calling up the other person and apologizing would be a good way to make amends.

3. When can I do it?

I might not be able to call or see the other person right away, so I could decide that next Monday I will call the person and apologize.

4. How can I be more gentle to myself in this situation?

This is the most important question and step of them all. If I have decided what is mine, what and when to do something to make the situation right, then all that is left is to forgive and be kind to myself.

The best self healing exercises need to be simple to understand and easy to practice. Here are three exercises that I have found to be very helpful for myself and for anyone I’ve known that have tried them. I hope you enjoy them too!

The Secret Method of Inviting Blessings.
The Spiritual Medicine of Many Illnesses.

For today only anger not, worry not,
be grateful and humble,
do your work with appreciation,
be kind to all.

In the morning and at night,
with hands held in prayer,
think this in your mind,
chant this with your mouth.
The Usui Reiki Method
to change your mind and body for the better
– Mikao Usui

The Reiki Principles are the heart of Reiki. The only real mastery is self-mastery. Dr. Usui taught that dedication to the principles and living them was essential. The real intent of the principles was to bring about enlightenment, peaceful living, kindness toward all, calm in your mind, and in your life.

In healing ourselves and living the principles, we find true mastery. Not mastery of Reiki, but mastery of ourselves.

It strengthens your energy and helps you to detach from your clients, situations, thoughts and emotions. It brings you into the present moment.

Place your right hand on the left side of your chest, over the collarbone. Now stroke down gently across your chest to the right hipbone. Do the same with your left hand, starting on the right side of your chest, above the collarbone. Stoke down gently toward your left hipbone. Repeat each side once more.

With left palm facing up, place your right hand on your left shoulder and stroke down gently over the inside of your left arm and the palm of your left hand, past your fingertips. Do the same stroke with your left hand over the inside of your right arm. Repeat each arm once more.

The Japanese word Reiji means “indication of the spirit” (ray-jee hoe).

The technique teaches us to trust and follow our intuition by getting our ego out of the way, so that healing can happen without us trying to control it in any way. We just show up with what is in the moment.

Hold your hands in front of your chest and ask the energy to flow through you freely.

Ask for the healing and well-being of your client on every level.

Bring your hands, palms together, up to the third eye and ask Reiki to guide your hands to wherever they are needed.

Practice gassho by comfortably holding your hands in front of your heart center, palms together. Your hands should be held so that if you were to exhale through the nose the exiting breath would gently touch your fingertips.

Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth during the course of this meditation. Rest your tongue on the roof of your mouth as you inhale; while exhaling, let your tongue drop to the bottom of your mouth. Positioning the tongue as described completes the circle of energy within the body and mind.

Close your eyes and sit in a relaxed position, either on a chair or on the floor. Keep your back as straight as possible without straining it.

The purpose of gassho meditation is to increase the energy of the practitioner and to put him or her into a meditative frame of mind. Practice it every day either in the morning or the evening (or both) for 20 to 30 minutes.

The instructions for gassho meditation are simple: Concentrate all of your attention on the point where both middle fingers touch and forget everything else.

The word Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key) is a Japanese kanji for universal life-force energy.

Reiki is a Japanese holistic, light-touch, energy-based modality. Working as a support mechanism to the body, Reiki re-establishes a normal energy flow of ki (life force energy) throughout the system, which in turn can enhance and accelerate the body’s innate healing ability. Through a series of hand positions either directly on or just above the body, the energy worker allows for the flow of energy through their body. The client’s body then draws off the amount of energy that is required. The simplicity of a Reiki session may raise some skepticism, however, after experiencing it, many clients keep coming back for more of those relaxing feelings.

Reiki is simple and produces measurable results. It is power, light and love. Reiki transcends the man-made divisions of religion, economics, location, gender, and race.

That is a good description and I believe that Reiki is much more than that, especially Reiki Level 1.

I believe that Reiki is an exploration of who you are and what it means to be present in the moment.Dr. Usui provided a set of simple tools that, if practiced, allow you to heal yourself and to uncover your inner strengths and talents. You have the chance to blossom into your life by discovering and letting go of all the things which limit you, the expectations, judgments, fears, all of the conditioning you have gone through and your own limiting beliefs about yourself and life.

Reiki Level 1 is about discovering that you have choice in every moment. It is about being present in the moment and noticing what is happening all around you and most importantly inside you. Many people live their life full of drama because they live in the past or the future and are rarely in the present moment. It is in the present moment that life takes place; it is where we find our truth, passion, strength and our path. It is in the present moment that all healing takes place.

Just learning Reiki will not change you; it is a set of tools, a path that you can choose to follow to discover yourself and all of life. You may find that at times the path, your path, may have challenges and it is by looking at and working through these challenges that you get to be free of any of the things which are not you. It takes your commitment and consistent effort to be the person you are. Who are you?

Reiki provides a strong structure for you to use when you discover that you have gotten caught up in the drama and would like to come back to yourself in the present moment.

We have been taught to look outside of ourselves for everything and to gather more and more experiences to feel fulfilled and to have worth. In my experience, the looking outside of myself just leaves me feeling unfulfilled and wanting/needing more.

Dr. Usui has left us simple tools that we can use to look inside of ourselves for everything we need (it has been there all the time). The tools are so simple it is easy to dismiss them. It is the fact that they are so simple that gives them their power. Life does not have to be as complicated as we have been taught to make it.

What I like about Reiki is that it is simple, it works, anyone can do it and all we need is to be present and have a focused intent. Reiki works well with complementary skills because they too only require that we be present and have a focused intent.